Two men charged in theft of copper wire in Middleboro

A Plymouth man and Taunton man were arrested and charged with the theft of $4,000 worth of copper wire from a Middleboro recycling center.

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By Alice C. ElwellEnterprise Correspondent

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

By Alice C. ElwellEnterprise Correspondent

Posted Jan. 21, 2014 at 8:37 PM
Updated Jan 21, 2014 at 9:15 PM

By Alice C. ElwellEnterprise Correspondent

Posted Jan. 21, 2014 at 8:37 PM
Updated Jan 21, 2014 at 9:15 PM

MIDDLEBORO

» Social News

Two men caught stealing an estimated $4,000 worth of copper wire from a recycling center were arraigned Tuesday in Wareham District Court after a Monday morning manhunt in a swamp.

Police say a Route 28 neighbor spotted the men at 3:30 a.m. when their pickup truck got stuck in the mud as they were leaving the scene of the crime.

Officer Jerry J. Donahue stopped a mud-covered pickup he passed when responding to the call, and the passenger, Justin Morton, jumped out and ran.

The driver, Andrew Gottlich, stayed, and Donahue said he discovered copper wire in the back of the pickup.

"The entire bed was full," the officer said.

Donahue and a police dog named Phaellan tracked Morton into a swamp, where he hid, submerged under water and weeds.

"He wouldn't give up," Donahue said, adding that he searched the swamp in water up to his thighs.

However, the suspect was no match for Phaellan, who pulled Morton from the swamp by his leg.

Donahue said Morton, 26, of 9 Maple St., Taunton, was treated for a dog bite.

Both men were charged with larceny over $250, a felony charge of breaking and entering in the nighttime, malicious destruction of property over $250, use of a motor vehicle in a felony, trespassing, disturbing the peace and conspiracy.

Gottlich, 30, of 158 Courtland St., Apt. 3, Plymouth, was also charged with driving on a suspended driver's license.

The two men will face additional charges once the investigation is complete, Donahue said.

After their arraignment, the men were sent to the Plymouth House of Correction.

Morton was held on $1,500 bail. Gottlich is being held without bail until he is arraigned in Taunton District Court on March 21 on an outstanding warrant on assault charges.

Gottlich's bail for the alleged heist at the recycling center was set at $1,000. The men are scheduled for a hearing in Wareham on Feb. 21.